My wife and I just returned from an afternoon collecting a few gallons of oolitic sand for Rob, at the location west of Stansbury Island (which is not currently an island due to low lake level). Couple of things to note: 1. The stop sign mentioned at the six mile mark on the road out to the island is long gone. Just look for a seldom-used road heading west a little past the gravel pit on your right against the side of the mountain. The road will be on your left, and it's easy to miss. 2. The "dunefields" are choked with native vegetation. The flats just beyond the dunes have been just ground down from vehicle traffic. It is impossible to find a pristine deposit of sand. Our samples are loaded with dead bugs, sticks, and rabbit turds. You'll need to wash and screen your sand for a clean sample. You may find a less contaminated source if you wander around for a few hours. We opted not to since it was 100 degrees F. Anywhere vehicles have driven has ground the sand down to just powder. You can get stuck with a low-chassis, rear-wheel drive car. Be careful. 3. "Don't disturb the vegetation" may have had meaning decades ago, when the directions to the site were probably written, but today the entire area is no longer pristine. We encountered large trucks hauling something all along the road, and many service pickups going each way. The area is not even close to pristine anymore, sadly. Here's a closeup of a typical "clean" area: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/OoliticSand002_zps2b3... On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 4:50 PM, BWFlowers <BWFlowers@comcast.net> wrote:
Here is some information I ran across a while back while doing some meteorite research, hope it helps! -Barrett
How to get there: Travel approximately 36 miles west of Salt Lake City on Interstate 80 until you reach the second Grantsville exit. Exit and turn west (left) onto the road to Stansbury Island (do not turn south to Grantsville). Travel about 6 miles on this main road until you reach an intersection with a stop sign on the west side of Stansbury Island. Turn west (left) and travel 0.5 miles to a sandy dune area adjacent to the road. Stop here and park on the edge of the road. Be careful not to get your vehicle stuck in the sand and watch out for the large trucks that use this road.
Where to collect: Oolitic sand dunes are adjacent to the road and easily accessible in this area. Use a plastic bag or a bucket to collect the sand. Be careful not to disturb the vegetation that stabilizes the dunes.